Falcon 9, Electron or Vega C? How to Compare Launch Vehicles Side by Side on Carrier Space

To compare launch vehicles side by side on Carrier Space, open the Vehicles list, narrow it down with the filters for orbit, country, provider and payload mass, tick "Compare" on up to three rockets and open the direct comparison. You then see provider, status, payload to LEO, SSO, GTO and Mars, launch sites and any published price per kilogram in one view, with a button that turns the selection into a single launch request to those providers. This guide shows how the comparison works, what problem it solves and how a satellite operator would use it to weigh Falcon 9, Electron and Vega C for a real mission.

Why comparing launch vehicles takes so long

Every launch provider publishes its technical data in its own document, in its own format and against its own reference orbit. Anyone who wants to compare three rockets has to open three user's guides and translate their numbers into a common basis first.

SpaceX: The Falcon 9 vehicle page lists 22,800 kg to LEO, 8,300 kg to GTO and 4,020 kg to Mars, but no figure for sun-synchronous orbit. Rideshare rules and timelines sit in a separate document, the Rideshare Payload User's Guide (Version 11, August 2026), and rideshare prices come from the booking tool's price configuration.
Rocket Lab: The Electron page states 300 kg to LEO, while the Electron Payload User's Guide (Version 8.0, September 2025) gives a nominal payload of 200 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.
Avio and ESA: ESA describes Vega C with 2.3 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit, 3.3 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 2.5 tonnes to polar orbits. The Vega C User's Manual (Issue 0 Revision 0, May 2018) presents SSO performance as a curve over altitude rather than a single number.

The three numbers that look like "payload to orbit" are therefore not directly comparable. One is a LEO figure, one a 500 km SSO figure, one a curve. Launch sites, delivery deadlines and prices are again in other places, and prices are mostly not published at all. For a small team planning its first satellite, collecting this is days of reading before a single provider has been contacted.

What the comparison on Carrier Space does

Carrier Space brings launch vehicles, rideshare missions, cargo and crewed missions, transfer vehicles and launch sites into one place with consistent data fields that are checked weekly. The vehicle comparison is the entry point for anyone who does not yet know which rocket fits.

Step 1: Filter the vehicle list

The Vehicles page lists 86 launch vehicles (as of 31 October 2026) plus a separate tab for passenger spacecraft. Each row shows launch vehicle, provider, country, payload to LEO, SSO and GTO, reusability and year of first flight. You can sort by any column and filter by:

Orbit: for example LEO or SSO, so that only vehicles with a figure for that orbit remain.
Country: useful if a funding programme or export control limits where you can launch.
Provider: to see every vehicle a single company offers.
Payload range in kg: a from and to value, so a 150 kg satellite does not have to scroll past heavy lift rockets.

Step 2: Mark up to three vehicles

Each row has a "Compare" box. Tick it for up to three vehicles and the page offers "Open comparison". The selection is part of the address, so a comparison can be bookmarked or sent to a colleague, for example Falcon 9, Electron and Vega C.

Step 3: Read the direct comparison

The direct comparison puts the vehicles in columns and the data in rows:

Provider and status: who sells the launch and whether the vehicle is active.
Payload LEO, SSO, GTO and Mars: the published capacity per orbit type, with a dash where no figure is published.
Lead time: how far ahead a launch must be booked, where a provider states it.
Launch sites: the pads each vehicle flies from, which matters for reachable inclinations and for shipping.
Launch fee and price per kg: only where the provider publishes prices. The page notes that prices are the providers' published figures and non-binding, and that only the contract with the provider is binding.

Each vehicle name links to its own page and each provider to its provider profile, so the detail is one click away.

Step 4: Turn the comparison into a request

Above the table sits "Request from these providers". It opens the request form with the selected providers already filled in. Below each column, "Request a launch" does the same for one vehicle only. In the form you describe the payload once (type, mass, separation system, propulsion), the target orbit, the earliest launch quarter and whether you want rideshare, a primary slot or a dedicated launch. Every question allows "Not sure yet".

Worked example: Falcon 9, Electron or Vega C?

Take a university spin-off with a 120 kg Earth observation satellite that needs a sun-synchronous orbit around 500 to 550 km and wants to launch in 2027. The team has heard of Falcon 9 rideshare, Electron and Vega C and wants to know which of them is worth asking. Here is what the comparison and the providers' own documents show.

Falcon 9 (SpaceX): 22,800 kg to LEO and 8,300 kg to GTO on the SpaceX vehicle page, no SSO figure there. Launch sites Cape Canaveral SLC-40, Kennedy Space Center LC-39A and Vandenberg SLC-4E. For a 120 kg satellite the relevant product is the rideshare programme: SpaceX's price configuration lists 7,500 USD per kg for 2027 with a 50 kg minimum on a quarter plate that takes up to 300 kg. The open flights list on 31 October 2026 shows SSO rideshares for June and October 2027 at 500 to 600 km.
Electron (Rocket Lab): 300 kg to LEO on the vehicle page and 200 kg nominal to 500 km SSO in the Payload User's Guide. Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia. Rocket Lab lists 98 launches to date on its Electron page. A 120 kg satellite fits within the nominal SSO figure, so a dedicated Electron launch with a chosen orbit and date is an option. No price is published.
Vega C (Avio): 2.3 tonnes to SSO and 3.3 tonnes to LEO according to ESA, a fairing 3.3 m in diameter and launches from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Vega C first flew on 13 July 2022 and launched FLEX and Sentinel-3C together on flight VV30 on 15 September 2026. A 120 kg satellite would fly alongside other payloads; Avio's payload adapters allow primary passengers to be combined with microsats and CubeSat deployers. Avio's booking form asks for desired orbit, earliest date, payload mass and CubeSat deployer size. No price is published.

Rough cost check for the rideshare route: 120 kg times 7,500 USD is 900,000 USD for the base rideshare price in 2027, before options such as a separation system. SpaceX's price configuration lists a 15 inch separation system at 451,000 USD for 2027. These are SpaceX's published list figures and not an offer.

What the team learns in ten minutes: all three can carry the satellite to SSO. Falcon 9 rideshare has a public price and fixed dates. Electron offers a dedicated ride, and Vega C a European launch from Kourou, both on request. That is enough to send one request to all three providers instead of three separate enquiries.

Deadlines differ as much as capacities

Payload capacity is only one line. The same three providers also set different rules for when hardware must arrive at the launch site:

SpaceX rideshare: the Payload User's Guide sets out a schedule from about eight months before launch, with orbit selection around five months before launch, delivery of payload and ground equipment to the launch site no more than eight weeks before the launch date, and mating of the encapsulated assembly to the rocket at about five days before launch.
Rocket Lab Electron: the Payload User Guide states that the payload shipment must arrive no later than 30 days before launch. Payloads for Launch Complex 1 clear customs in Auckland before transport to Māhia.
Vega C: the User's Manual ties schedule items to mission analysis reviews; even a mission insignia for the fairing must be supplied no later than six months before launch.

These dates feed into licensing, testing and shipping plans. The comparison does not replace the user's guide, but it tells you which three guides are worth reading. Our article on launch lead times explains how to plan backwards from a launch date.

What the comparison cannot tell you

A side by side view is a starting point, not a decision. Keep four limits in mind:

Reference orbits differ. A LEO figure for one rocket and an SSO figure for another are not the same thing. Check the user's guide for performance at your exact altitude and inclination.
A dash means "not published", not "not possible". Falcon 9 has no SSO figure on its vehicle page, yet SpaceX flies SSO rideshares every few months.
Most prices are not public. Dedicated launches and many rideshare offers are quoted per mission. Published prices change by year: SpaceX's rideshare price per kg rose from 5,500 USD in 2023 to 7,500 USD in 2027.
Capacity is not availability. A vehicle that can carry your satellite may still have no free slot in your launch window. Only the provider can confirm that, which is why the request step exists.

Comparing missions instead of vehicles

If you already know you want rideshare, the Missions page is the better starting point. It lists concrete flights with launch date, provider, vehicle, orbit, price per kg and status, for example the SpaceX SSO rideshares for 2027 with "Sold out" or "Open". Missions have their own comparison view as well. For crewed flights there is a separate passenger flights section.

FAQ

How many launch vehicles can I compare at once?

Up to three. Tick "Compare" on three rows of the Vehicles list and open the comparison. To swap one, go back to the list, untick it and tick another.

Where does the data in the comparison come from?

From the providers' published sources such as vehicle pages and user's guides. Carrier Space checks the data weekly. Prices are shown only where a provider publishes them and are non-binding.

Why does Falcon 9 show no SSO payload?

SpaceX's Falcon 9 page publishes payload to LEO, GTO and Mars, but not to sun-synchronous orbit. Small satellites usually reach SSO on SpaceX's rideshare missions, which you can find on the Missions page.

Can I send a request directly from the comparison?

Yes. "Request from these providers" opens the request form with the compared providers selected. You describe your payload, target orbit and earliest launch once, and the request goes to those providers.

Do I need an account to compare or request?

No. Comparing is open to everyone and a request can be sent without an account. Afterwards you can create a profile to follow your requests and offers.

Is Electron or Vega C better for a 120 kg satellite?

It depends on what matters more. Electron offers a dedicated launch with your own orbit and date; Vega C carries up to 2.3 tonnes to SSO, so a 120 kg satellite would fly alongside other payloads, which Avio's adapters are designed for. Ask both and compare the offers on schedule, orbit accuracy and total cost.

Request offers for your satellite

Once the comparison has narrowed your options, send one request instead of writing to every provider. On carrier-space.com/anfrage you can request non-binding indicative offers from up to five providers and brokers, chosen by you or suggested. Carrier Space checks the request for completeness and plausibility and forwards it anonymously. The indicative offers come back through Carrier Space in one comparable view, and a provider only learns who you are once you pick its offer. It is free for customers. If you want to start from the example above, the request for SpaceX, Rocket Lab and Avio is already prefilled.

Sources

Cover image: Launch vehicles in the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson.